Mastering SQL for Interviews and Real World Success: A Beginner’s Guide
Are you gearing up for a SQL interview? Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of databases or looking to refresh your skills for real-life data challenges, this guide will take you through the key steps to success.
Why SQL is worth learning
Learning SQL is a valuable skill for anyone interested in working with data. Whether you’re a business analyst, data analyst, data scientist, data engineer or a web developer or any software engineer. SQL skills are in high-demand because almost every technical role requires an understanding of SQL. It is such an in-demand skill that you can find over a million SQL jobs on LinkedIn
Free Online SQL Courses
- Relational Databases and SQL by Standford University
- SQL Basics by Udacity
- SQL for Data Science by Coursera
Paid Online Mastering SQL Courses
Free SQL Online Practice Test Playground
In your journey to mastering SQL, hands-on practice is key. Online SQL playgrounds provide an excellent environment for experimenting with SQL queries, honing your skills, and learning in a risk-free setting.
Above platforms offer interactive interfaces where you can write and execute SQL code on real world scenarios:
Must Know Items in Interviews and Real World
- SQL Select Basics and Query Evaluation Order
- Where and Having Clause
- GROUP BY
- Aggregate functions (Max, Min, Sum, Avg, Count)
- Window Functions especially RANK/DENSE_RANK/ROW_NUMBER
- CASE WHEN
- JOINs and When to use which Join Type
- Subqueries
- UNION and UNION ALL
- Common Table Expressions (CTE)
You can also get enrolled in Udemy Course for 200+ real interview questions on SQL
Popular Certifications
SQL certification demonstrates your proficiency in managing and querying databases, making you a sought-after candidate in data-related roles, enhancing career prospects, and validating your SQL skills for employers
- Free Hackerrank Basic and Intermediate SQL skills
- Microsoft SQL and Course
- MySQL 8.0 Database Developer Oracle Certified Professional
Portfolio of SQL Projects
Small real-world SQL projects bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical expertise, making you a more competent and confident SQL practitioner.
Some of the Projects/Case Study:
- 8 Week SQL Challenge
- Pick Up Kaggle Dataset and Apply SQL concepts
Make Sure to Create Github Portfolio and commit all your solutions to make it visible to recruiters
Community and Networking: Connections for Interviews and Real-World Learning
Join the SQL community on LinkedIn, forums, and social media. Connect with professionals, ask questions, and learn from others’ experiences, valuable for interviews and real-world networking
Personal Mentor — ChatGPT for SQL
You should use ChatGPT for SQL because it provides a convenient and accessible resource for below:
- SQL Query Assistance
- Explaining SQL Concepts
- Database Design and Schema Advice
- Troubleshooting SQL Errors
- Practice and Learning
- SQL Best Practices
Here is one detailed blog on how to make best use of Chatgpt for SQL: https://blog.enterprisedna.co/how-to-use-chatgpt-to-write-sql-queries/